The Israeli parliament is due to debate Tuesday proposed legislation to delay by one month a special election for prime minister that is currently due to be held in February.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak set the ball rolling for a new election in 60 days after his shock resignation December 10 in a dramatic gamble to seek a new mandate and try to forge peace with the Palestinians.

The bill was put forward by the chairman of the parliamentary law committee Amnon Rubinstein after several MPs said that a 60-day timeframe for the leadership election was not sufficient.

It calls for elections to be held in 90 days, the same timeframe stipulated for legislative elections. Before becoming law the bill faces three readings and each must be approved by an absolute majority in the 120-member Knesset.

The move follows the Knesset's decision overnight to reject a bill calling for its dissolution and early legislative elections -- JERUSALEM (AFP)